Container



Patented Sept. l5, 1942 UNlTED ST- ,a

'i' GFFICE.

CONTAINER Thomas Begg, Nutley, N. J assigner to American Can Company,New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to containers or cans of the characterhaving removable tearing strips and has particular reference toshielding the raw edge which remains on the container body after thetearing strip is removed.

In tearing strip cans of usual construction the removal of the tearingstrip opens the can and also produces a cover which is usually utilizedas a reclosure for the can. Such a reclosure frequently is adapted toseat upon a collar which is provided in the can. Sometimes the collar isa separate member which is secured in the can body and sometimes thecollar is formed as an integral folded portion of the can body.

lines in the can body which set ofi" the tearing strip. If the scorelines are not properly made the removal of the tearing strip oftenleaves a In either case the collar backs up the usual score more or lessjagged raw edge on the can body adjacent the collar andprojectingoutwardly from the collar. Such a raw edge is a cutting hazard to thehands of the user of such a can.

The present invention contemplates overcoming this difculty by formingthe can body and the collar adjacent the score lines so that the rawedges whether jagged or not which remain -after removal of the tearingstrip will be shielded so that the user of the can will be protectedagainst injury.

An object therefore of the invention is the y' provision of a tearingstrip can wherein the portions of the can body which contain the tearingstrip score lines and the collar which backs up the score lines areformed so that any raw edge` which remains on the can body or on the re-7 closure produced by removal of the tearing strip will be shielded sothat the user of the can will be protected against injury by such rawedges Another object is the provision of such a can wherein the lowerscore line of the pair of score lines which sets off the tearing stripis located at the peak of an inwardly projecting bead in the can bodyand this bead interlocks with a similar bead in the collar so thatremoval of the tearing strip leaves the can body edge at the lower scoreof the tearing strip leaves any raw edge of that portion of the can bodywhich remains with the cover, in a shielded and protected locationthereby preventing its engagement by the hand of a user of the can.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas itV isbetter understood from the, following description, which takenin connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can embodying the instant invention;and

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views of one corner of the can,Fig. 2 showing the can before removal of its tearingstrip and Fig. 3showing the tearing strip removed, with parts broken away. j

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawing disclosesa cylindrical tubular sheet-'metal can which includes a bodyv Il havingits longitudinal edges secured in a side seam I2 and having a top and abottom closure I3, I4 secured to its ends in suitable end seams I5.Adjacent the top closure I3 the can is provided with an annular internalcollar band I1 having top and bottom curled edges I8, I9.

The collar band I1 fits snugly within the body ll with its outer surfacein frictional engagement with the inside surface of the body. The bottomcurled edge I9 of the collar is displaced outwardly and seats in anoutwardly extending bead 22 formed in the can body. The bead extendsentirely around the body and thus holds the collar permanently in place.

At the top the bead 22 of the body Il merges into an inwardly projectingbead 2'3 which forms an annular recess in the can body and which extendsinto and seats within an inwardly projecting cooperating or clearancebead 24 formed in the collar band I'I. The peak or innermost portion(marked with the numeral 25) of the bead. 23 is thus disposed inwardlyof the straight out- .side surface of the can body I I.

The cover or top closure I3 of the can is preferably of the characterhaving a countersunk panel 3l which includes a bottom wall section 32disposed within the can. The outer edge of the bottom wall section 32merges into an upright annular friction wall section 33 whichfrictionally engages inside of the collar band upper curled edge I8. Atits upper edge the cover friction wall 33 merges into an annularhorizontal wall section 34 which extends outwardly over the curled edgeI8 of the collar band and thus forms a stepped seat which rests on thecurled edge I8. The outer edge of this stepped seat wall 34 merges intoan upright annular wall section 35 which extends upwardly along the canbody II and is incorporated in the cover end seam I5. Such a cover ortop closure I3 seals the upper end of the can.

Opening of the can is preferably eiected by removal of a tearing strip4I which is formed in the can body Il adjacent the collar band II. Thistearing strip is set off by a pair oi spaced and parallel score lines42, 43 which are formed in the can body. These score lines begin at thecan side seam I2 and extend entirely around the can. Adjacent the sideseam the tearing strip 4I is formed with an overhanging tongue 45 whichis adapted to be engaged by va key 46 in the usual manner for tearingaway the strip.

Removal of the tearing strip 4I separates the cover I3 from the can bodyIl and leaves the upper portion of the collar band I'I exposed above thecan body. The cover thus produced may be used as a friction plugreclosure having the cover friction wall 33 and step wall 34 engagingthe collar band and serving as a seat for retaining the cover inposition Within the collar when so used.

Removal of the tearing strip from the can leaves raw edges where themetal of the can tears along the score lines. In order to protect theuser of the can against probable injury by these raw edges, the upperscore line 42 is located in the can body close to the base of the topend seam I5 where it is backed up by the lower portion of the coverupright wall 35. Hence when the tearing strip is removed the raw edgewhich remains along the score line 42 is well up under the protectinglower edge of the end seam I5 and is out of the way so that the hand ofthe user` cannot strike against it and be cut.

For this purpose the lower score line 43 is located at the peak orinnermost base portion 25 of the inturned bead 23 in the can body.Removal of the tearing strip 4I therefore leaves the raw edge of thebody wall along the score line 43, seateddeep in the collar bead 24Where it is well Within the limits of the straight outside wall of thecan body I I. The edge of the body thus protected is well out of the wayand will not form a cutting hazard for the hand of the user of the can.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. A tearing strip container, comprising a can body having an inwardlyprojecting bead forming a recess in the body and also having score linessetting oif a tearing strip which upon removal opens the container, anend closure member secured to said body in a seamed joint, and a collarband located inside of said can body and having an inwardly projectingbead which iits over the bead of sai-d body, one of said score linesbeing disposed in the bead in the body and located within the recess sothat the raw edge produced by removal of the tearing strip is shieldedwithin the inwardly projecting bead of the collar to prevent cuttinghazards to the hand of the user of the can.

2. A tearing strip container, comprising a can body having an inwardlyprojecting bead forming a recess in the body and an adjacent outwardlyprojecting bead, said body also having score lines setting off tearingstrip which upon removal opens the container, a friction plug endclosure member secured to said body in a seamed joint, and a separatecollar band located inside of said body and having an upper curled edgeadapted to serve as a friction seat for said end closure when the stripis removed and having a lower curled edge engaging in the outwardlyprojecting bead for holding the collar in place in the body, said collarband also having an inwardly projecting bead which fits over theinwardly projecting bead of the body, one of said score lines beingdisposed at the peak of the in- Wardly projecting bead in the body sothat the raw edge produced by removal of the tearing strip will belocated in the bead recess of the collar and shielded to prevent cuttinghazards to the han-d of the user of the can.

3. A tearing strip container, comprising a can body having a relativelysharp inwardly projecting bead and also having score lines setting off atearing strip which upon removal opens the container, an end closuremember secured to said body in a double seamed joint, and a collar bandlocated inside of said can body and having an inwardly projecting beadwhich ts over the bead of said body in a cooperating connection, saidscore lines being disposed in the body wall so that the raw edgesproduced by removal of the tearing strip are shielded to prevent cuttinghazards to the hand of the user of the can, the raw edge left along theupper score line being at the base of the said seamed joint and that ofthe lower score line being in the peak of the bead of said collar band.

THOMAS BEGG.

